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At last, 2017 is upon us! I am very glad to see the back of 2016, and I hope the door hit it on the way out.

I don’t usually do resolutions because I’m not sure that starting the year by putting yourself under pressure to perform is exactly the right thing to do. However, I do often have hopes and aspirations for the year ahead, so I’d like to talk briefly about what those are for me for 2017.

Firstly, I’m going to finish the second book of the Darkwitch trilogy. It’s going well so far, with a current first draft WIP word count at 48,284. I know where the story is going and how things will end at the finish of this book, and I know where we need to be at the end of the final book. But my aim for 2017 is to release the second book, and make Rise of the Darkwitch permafree!

Secondly, I’m going to opt out of KDP Select as of January 31st and open distribution of my book up to other retailers. I’ll be going Kobo and IngramSpark, to name but a few. So, I guess I need to figure out exactly how to do those things, too.

Thirdly, on a more personal note, I’m going to try and be less negative. Negativity follows me around like a cloud all the time, in my personal life and my professional life. I’m going to make a conceited effort NOT to constantly think the worst of everything. It’s time to look to the positives, no?

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It’s seven days since the release of Rise of the Darkwitch. I thought it would be a good idea to record what’s happened so far, and make this a regular Sunday feature.

I have no intention of trying to big myself up and seem more successful than I am. Suffice to say, the novel hasn’t been a runaway success! Not that I was expecting such a thing, of course. Overall sales this week are just under 20, and have trailed off as the week has gone on. Most sales are from friends and family (thanks guys!) and a few others are likely from people who supported my Kindle Scout campaign. I’m not expecting many more sales.

I’ve tried a few marketing things, but I’ve also continued my research into book marketing. The consensus I reached? Don’t bother yet. It’s essentially pouring money down the drain.

I’m okay with that. I’m not labouring under the illusion that I’m going to sell shed-loads of copies. It’s just not going to happen. However, I am satisfied that the product I’ve put out has a place and a purpose, and I’m hoping it’ll end up in the hands of someone who’ll find comfort in it – or at the very least, some entertainment.

This week, I’ve also joined Goodreads and KBoards, so feel free to say hi! I’ve tweeted a fair amount in the #WeNeedDiverseBooks hashtag, as my book is very diverse, but I haven’t had much interaction.

I’m hoping that’s because I’m a small fish in a very big pond, not that my book is terrible!

In terms of new writing, I’m 15,000 words into the second Dance of Dark and Light series. Its tentative title is The Glass Empire. There’ll be a cover reveal soon!

My reading for the week has been Ruth White’s Lily of the Valley, which is free today on Amazon! I’ve also downloaded the Warrior trilogy by Don McQuinn.

I’ll be blogging a review of Lily of the Valley when I’m finished.

That’s about it for this week! Apart from slicing three of my fingers while pumpkin carving, and the incident of falling into a hedge and badly bruising both knees. The less said about those events, the better…

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One new thing I’ve learned has been how to use Prezi! Realistically, I should already have known how to use it, being a teacher. It’s one of those ICT things that you’re encouraged to use instead of PowerPoint or Keynote.